SAMMÆ PARIBBÆJANIYA SUTTA

Transcription

1 SAMMÆ PARIBBÆJANIYA SUTTA

2 SAMMÆ PARIBBÆJANIYA SUTTA CONTENTS PART I 1. INTRODUCTION 2. THE QUESTION 3. ANSWER NUMBER ONE 4. DISCARD ALL SECULAR MA GALÆ 5. MA GALÆS THAT SHOULD BE DISCARDED 6. DI HA MA GALÆ 7. A BRIEF STORY OF DI HA MA GALIKÆ 8. SUTA MA GALÆ 9. MUTA MA GALÆ 10. CHOOSING AUSPICIOUS DAYS IS USELESS 11. DISPELLING WRONG BELIEF IS IMPORTANT 12. BHIKKHU AND SECULAR MA GALÆ PART II 13. ANSWER NUMBER TWO 14. GETTING RID OF KÆMA AND RÆGA COMPLETELY 15. MISERY DUE TO KÆMA AND RÆGA 16. PRACTICE OF CATUSACCA KAMMA HÆNA PART III 17. ANSWER NUMBER THREE 18. GOSSIP MUST BE REJECTED 19. ANGER MUST BE REJECTED 20. UNCHARITABLENESS MUST BE REJECTED 21. ACQUIESCENCE AND OPPOSITION SHOULD BE REJECTED

3 PART IV 22. ANSWER NUMBER FOUR 23. MUST BE FREE OF OBSESSION 24. BE FREE FORM THE HITCHING-POST PART V 25. ANSWER NUMBER FIVE 26. AVOID ATTACHMENT 27. MAY YOU KNOW INDEPENDENTLY PART VI 28. ANSWER NUMBER SIX 29. A SHORT COURSE OF VØPASSANÆ PRACTICE 30. ONLY NIBBÆNA WANTED PART VII 31. ANSWER NUMBER SEVEN 32. DON T BE ANGRY AT ABUSE AND ACCUSATION 33. DON T BE VAIN FROM ABUNDANCE 34. COMTEMPLATING FOOD WHILE TAKING IT PART VIII 35. ANSWER NUMBER EIGHT 36. THE WAY TO ERADICATE LOBHA 37. REJECTION OF BHAVA 38. REFRAINING FROM MAYHEM 39. REJECTION OF DOUBTS 40. BE FREE FROM SPIKES

4 PART IX 41. ANSWER NUMBER NINE 42. ACT WHAT IS APPROPRIATE 43. DO NOT INCONVENIENCE OTHERS 44. KNOWING THE TRUTH AS ONE SHOULD PART X 45. ANSWER NUMBER TEN 46. MEANING OF ANUSAYA 47. DORMANT IN THE SENSES 48. AN ARAHANTA IS FREE OF ANUSAYA PART XI 49. ANSWER NUMBER ELEVEN 50. REJECTION OF ÆSAVA 51. NO ÆSAVA, NO MÆNA 52. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HUMILITY AND BASE PRIDE 53. TRUE PRIDE AND FALSE PRIDE 54. THE PATH OF RÆGA 55. TO APPROACH AND OVERCOME 56. MUST ABANDON WILDNESS AND HAVE SERENITY PART XII 57. ANSWER NUMBER TWELVE 58. MUST HAVE FAITH AND CONVICTION 59. MUST BE FULL OF KNOWLEDGE 60. ARIYA MAGGA IS CALLED NIYÆMA 61. MUST BE FREE OF WRONG BELIEFS 62. MUST BE FREE OF LOBHA, ETC..

5 PART XIII 63. ANSWER NUMBER THIRTEEN 64. ÆYATANA REVEALED IN MEDITATION PART XIV 65. LEARNING TO KNOW EACH TRUTH 66. KNOWING SIMULTANEOUSLY THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS 67. FURTHER EXPLANATION 68. NIMMITA BUDDHA S THANKSGIVING 69. TEN SAM YO JANAS 70. BENEFIT FROM LISTENING TO THE SERMON 71. CHANCE OF IMMEDIATE ENLIGHTENMENT IN CELESTIAL WORLD

6 SAMMÆ PARIBBÆJANIYA SUTTA 1 SAMMÆPARIBBÆJANIYA SUTTA INTRODUTION First and foremost, it appears appropriate to make a brief mention of the events leading to the exposition of this sutta by the Blessed One. Thereafter, throwing light on the essence of this Discourse will, it is hoped, bring easier appreciation of the precious dhamma expounded by an illustrious disciple of the Buddha, the Venerable Mahæsi Sayædaw of Myanmar, whose intellectual and spiritual achievement in the field of Buddhism stands prominent in the world today. During the interim period between the fourth and fifth Vassa(Lent) on the full moon day of the month of the Nayon after his achievement of the Supreme Enlightenment, the Buddha went into retreat and seated himself under the pleasant foliage of a huge and majestic tree in the Mahäwun forest in the neighbourhood of the capital city of Kapilavatthu. At this juncture five-hundred monks who were the princes of the Sakya clan and who had then achieved the stage of Sotæpanna, being bent upon gaining higher progressive insight, sought for and received the sublime teaching of the Blessed One. Having done so they respectively retreated to suitable secluded spots such as the cool shade of age-old trees, ravines and valleys in that forest to continue practising kamma hæna meditation. After serious meditation, they attained Arahatship on the eve of the night of the very day they went into further meditation. Having reached Arahatship, the first monk who become Arahat made his way to the Buddha to pay obeisance and report about his accomplishment of the final sanctification as an Arahat. After taking his seat in an appropriate place before the Buddha, he looked back to find out if there was any other person besides him who had come to report of his own achievement just as he did. On seeing one monk coming to report to the Buddha, he dismissed his original idea of reporting to the Buddha of his spiritual attainment. He therefore remained in his sitting posture and immersed himself in deep silence. Then another monk followed suit and then another and sat at the foot of the Exalted One. In this manner there was a continuous flow of newly-fledged five hundred Arahats taking seat and paying obeisance to the Buddha. When all these Arahats had thus assembled at the feet of the Exalted One, Devas and Brahmäs from ten-thousand Universes appeared successively to pay respectful homage to the Blessed One and the five hundred Arahats. It was stated that there were only a few who had failed to make their appearance on this auspicious occasion. The huge Congregation or the Assembly of a multitude of devas and brahmäs is known as Mahæsamaya. At this congregation the Buddha solemnly proclaimed the number of devas who were present and their respective celestial abodes from where they came to join the Assembly. The words so uttered by the Buddha were given the name of Mahæsamaya Sutta and were recited as such at the great Buddhist Council. The impact of the Buddha s announcement on the Devas and Brahmæs brought about a fitting composure in them. They were in a state of bliss, mentally strong, firm and receptive. The Buddha then delivered a series of discourses, six in number the essence of each different discourse or sutta being intended to fall in with the natural tendency and idiosyncrasy of the respective deva or brahmæ. Of these six suttas, the first is Sammæpraibbæjaniya Sutta Dhamma. which is truly meant for those devas and brahmæs who have the instinctive tendency to indulge in sensual pleasures or in other words, who are dominated by the habit of räga or pleasurable desires. This is the Discourse, the subject matter of which is now being presented for the benefit of all mankind (veneyya). From the very outset of this sutta, the question was put by Nimmita Buddha, the created image of the Buddha, to the Blessed One. It began with the Nimmita Buddha eulogising the noble qualities and supreme attributes of the Lord Buddha in the following way; In this Universe (kämaloka) all sentient beings are not only drifting along with the tide of kæma, sensual pleasures, but are also drowned in them. It is because of their attachment to sensual existence that they are thus drifting and submerged in the raging waters of Existence (bhava). This being the result of wrong belief, only those who have faith in the Buddha s dhamma in this sæsanä will have the chance of

7 SAMMÆ PARIBBÆJANIYA SUTTA 2 being liberated from this whirlpool. Wrong believers are simply drifting and sinking. Not knowing the truth of the law of impermanence, etc., they are carried away by the rush of turbulent waters of ignorance of great immensity. The Buddha, however, has escaped from the four whirlpools and reached the other side of the bank, the zone of freedom called Nibbæna. With the attainment of Arahatta maggaphala, all craving desires become extinct and this extinction is known as saupadisesanibbæna, the meaning of which is peace and serenity unperturbed by all sensual pleasures of existence, i.e., annihilation of all kilesæs except the five khandhas. For this reason, the mind of the Blessed One is absolutely calm, tranquil and unruffled without the slightest tinge of kilesæs. Following this eulogy, it poses a query as to how a bhikkhu who leads a holy life of solitude in a remote forest after abandoning his home and family and after discarding all worldly pleasures should conduct himself well so as to escape from this mundane world and from all fetters. Thereafter, the interrogation and answers cover a wide range of human thoughts explaining the right and wrong relating to the true concept of the Buddhist way of life. Beginning with the noble advice to dispel erroneous views such as beliefs in ominous signs, ill omens, bad dreams, weird sounds and other various kinds of superstition such as fatalism, supernatural occurrences portending good or evil, prophesy and propitiating of nats, and blind belief in astrology, it comprehends the method of extinguishing human passions, evil desire, greed, attachment and lust. Furthermore, elucidation has been made how to tread on the right path, how magga-phala ñæ¼a can be achieved through vipassanæ mediation and how freedom can be gained from three kind of bhava, viz., kæmabhava, rþpabhava and arþpabhava, sensual existence, corporeal existence and formless existence. This sutta gives a comprehensive treatment of the fundamentals of the principles of Buddhism. It also prescribes the ways and means to combat and overcome mæna (conceit or pride) arising from egoism, anger, hatred and all other feelings of animosity and sceptical doubts. Moreover it shows us the way to devote to the practice of bhævanæ, vipassanæ meditation, to get rid of these human imperfections and shortcomings which will only bring demerits. It enjoin us to practise the bhævanæ, mettæ, muditæ, karu¼æ, upekkhæ and to diligently follow the Noble Eightfold Path and to gain realization of the Four Truths that will lead to the cessation of dukkha sacca, the existence, i. e., Nibbæna, (the Summum Bonum of Buddhism). The methods of meditation exercise to be employed are also explained in brief. The ten saµyojanas, the bond, of human passion which bind men to continued existence and which can be got rid of by Arahatship are outlined. While listening to this Sutta with concentrated mindfulness, one hundred thousand crores of devas and brahmæs attained Arahatship. The number of those who achieved various stages of vipassanæ mægga-phala ñæ¼a was, however innumerable. It is really surprising that the Venerable Mahæsi Sayædaw, the author of this Sutta in Myanmar version has been able to compress into a small volume various aspects of the noble dhamma, which serves as an antidote to all ills and misery. May all beings be well and happy. Min Swe SECRETARY Buddha Sæsana Nuggaha Organization Mahæsi Thathana Yeiktha April, 1981.

8 SAMMÆ PARIBBÆJANIYA SUTTA 3 DISCOURSE ON THE SERMON SAMMÆ PARIBBÆJANIYA SUTTA BY VENERABLE MAHÆSI SAYÆDAW PART I (NEW MOON DAY OF THADINGYUT, 1338 M.E.) INTRODUTION Out of the six Mahæ Samaya Suttas, Purabheda Sutta has long since come out in book form. Tuvataka Sutta is now being printed at Kabæ-Aye Buddha Sæsana Press, and will soon come out in book form. Requests have been made for printing the discourses on the remaining four Suttas. There seems to be no occasion for delivering discourses on each of the four Suttas separately. It would serve the purpose if after granting søla to the audience a gæthæ (verse) each were dealt with on every sabbath day, as I am doing now. Each gæthæ will probably take fifteen to thirty minutes. Today we will start with Sammæ Paribbajæniyæ Sutta. This Sutta was delivered by the Buddha to the devas and brahmæs who still had the habit of ræga. In it he surrogate Buddha (Nimmita Buddha) with the wishes of the real Buddha. THE QUESTION Pucchæmi munim pahutapæññaµ, tinnaµ päriñgataµ parinibbutaµ thitattaµ. Nikkhamma gharæ panujja kæme, kathaµ bhikkhu sammæ so loke paribbæ jeyya. I pose this question to the Master who is fully endowed with great and all-embracing wisdom. I pose the question to the Buddha who has stable and peaceful mind, free from the fire of kilesæ. These were words of adoration to the Buddha. The Buddha has great and large scope of wisdom, knowing all the dhamma. All the beings in the loka has been drifting in the current of kæmaræga, and are being drowned in it. They are drifting and sinking in bhava-ræga, lust for life and also in di hi-ræga, erroneous beliefs. When the Buddha s dhamma is shedding its light, the believers in the dhamma have a chance of swimming across the current of di hi-ræga. All the other beings are drifting and sinking; They are drifting and sinking in the current of avijjæ which blind them to the truth about anicca, dukkha and anatta. The Buddha has already swum across the four currents and arrived at the other shore-the state of nibbæna. The state of being free form all kinds of kilesæ after having arrived at the stage of arahatta magga is called sa-upædisesa nibbæna. The Buddha had peace form sa-upædisesa nibbanæ and His mind was stable. The above gæthæ is the adoration to the Buddha. The following is the text of the question: Denying kæma in all its manifestations, the Bhikkhu has taken to the woods after discarding the society of laity who are building families. How is the bhikkhu to do to carry on the good work? To this question the real Buddha gave an answer beginning with the following verse:

9 SAMMÆ PARIBBÆJANIYA SUTTA 4 ANSWER NUMBER ONE Yassa ma³galæ samuhatæse, uppätä supinæ ca lakkha¼æ ca. So ma³galadosavippahino, samma so loke paribbæjeyya. DISCARAD ALL SECULAR MA GALÆ The genuine Buddha said that bhikkhu had discarded all superstitions, called secular ma³galæ, by means of arahatta magga. Superstition consists in belief of bed luck, in regard to thunder stroke, mysterious outbreaks of fire, etc., and in belief of good luck, as well as bad luck, in dreams, peculiar marks in domestic animals and tools and appliances. The Buddha said that bhikkhu had discarded all superstitious beliefs and was able to practise the dhamma well. MA GALÆS THAT SHOULD BE DISCARDED According to this gæthæ, the 38 ma³galæs which are the genuine ones, are those to be observed, not neglected. The ma³galæs which are to be discarded are the superstitious beliefs falling into three categories, namely, di ha ma³galæ, suta ma³galæ and muta ma³galæ. DI HA MA GALÆ Di ha ma³galæ denotes the superstitious belief in good or bad luck according to good or bad sight. For instance, the sights of a swallow, a lark, a bird which speaks human words, a pregnant woman, an unmarried male or female, a pot full of water, a horse of äzani breed, a large bull,... such sights are considered to bring good luck; this is good ma³galæ. Such superstitions prevail in India even today, and some in Myanmar, too. In ancient times, the sight of a beggar was taken to be a bad omen. A BRIEF STORY OF DI HA-MA GALIKÆ In the story of Mäta³ga, the rich man s daughter Di ha-ma³galikæ, carefully looked at the hands and feet of her many suitors and was displeased. She told each one of them that he was of a lower caste and drove him out. Then she washed her face for, she said, she had seen a bad sight. She was in the habit of putting persons to shame for their low caste; she drove them out, saying that they were a bad sight, a bad omen. It was because of this habit of screening people by sight labelling them generally as bad omen, that this daughter of the rich man was named Di hama³galikæ, the believer in omen by sight. At the time our Buddha-to be was born as a beggar and his name was Mæta³ga. Beggars were not allowed to live in the city; they have to live outside. One day Mæta³ga went into the city on some business. Beggars were required to put on rags when they were to go into the city. They were also required to make a sound so that others of higher castes were warned of their approach. Mæta³ga put on dark dress, carried a basket in one hand and a small bell in the other. The bell was to send out sounds of warning of his approach. He was also required to pay respects to the passers-by. The meaning of the sound of the bell was I am a low caste beggar. Please avoid touching me. While Mæta³ga was walking on the road, the rich man s daughter Di ha ma³galikä, came riding on a horse-card to the bank of the river to take a bath and to picnic with her attendants. When she heard the bell, she looked and saw a man. Who is this man? she asked, and was told that the man was a beggar. Then the rich man s daughter felt that it was a bad omen occuring at the time of going to the auspicious ceremony bathing and picnicking on the riverside. She turned back immediately and returned home to wash her face. Her attendants were angry with Mæta³ga for having spoilt the fun and beat him up. If you want to know the full story, please look up Mæta³ga

10 SAMMÆ PARIBBÆJANIYA SUTTA 5 Jætaka. Story No.20 of the 550 life stories of the Buddha-to-be. Di ha ma³galikæ s story can be read also in Citta-Sambhuta Jætaka. SUTA MA GALÆ Suta Ma³galæ is superstitions regarding hearing of sounds. Sounds of joy and laughter are taken to be good omens, and sounds of weeping and mourning taken to be bad omens. The cry of an owl, for instance, is good omen; the cry of a night bird is a bad omen. MUTA MA GALÆ Muta Ma³galæ is superstition relating to smells and physical contacts. A sweet small or a pleasant touch is considered to be an omen for the good and conversely, a bad smell or an unpleasant touch means a bad omen. According to the caste system in India, physical contact, however slight with a beggar or a low-caste person is considered to be a bad omen. Once, a low-caste student had a slight touch with his high-caste teacher by mere accident, but the teacher could not forgive him and thrashed him soundly according to a paper I changed to have read. Included in such beliefs are superstitious reckoning of auspicious and inauspicious days, according to the movement of stars and other astrological calculations, when the occasion for almsgiving ceremony or a wedding is to be determined. Auspicious dates are chosen for the occasion of ceremonial laying of foundation-stones of a new building, such as a house or monastery. These are after all superstitious practices. It does not matter whether a certain time is auspicious or inauspicious so long as a construction can be carried out according to plan. If the construction is not done properly, it won t be successfully done despite the fact that it has been started on an auspicious date. In the same way, a marriage contracted on an auspicious date may fail if the partners cannot maintain good relationship, and they will be separated. Such cases are many, just as some pagodas and monasteries remain uncompleted. CHOOSING AUSPICIOUS DAYS USELESS Personally, I regard this practice of choosing auspicious dates as useless. Nowadays, most people of Yangon don t seem to care for auspicious days and usually choose Sundays to hold their ceremonies. That is quite a rational method. Sunday is an official holiday; so any ceremony held on any other day cannot attract as large an attendance as is desired. DISPELLING WRONG BELIEFS IS IMPORTANT According to this gæthæ, it is important to dispel beliefs regarding such secular ma³galæ or superstitions. In fact, good luck and bad luck are related to one s merits and demerits of the past. They are also related to his good and bad deeds of the present. The benefits of one s merits will engender good luck, or ma³galæ, and the effect of one s demerits will continue bad luck, or ama³galæ. So we should believe unreservedly in our own kamma. That would then be the right belief in the workings of kamma, called in pæ¹i, kammassakatæ sammædi hi. Belief in superstitions is contradictory to it, and is a form of micchæ di hi. So the main thing is to dispel such micchæ di hi. All wrong beliefs can be dispelled by sotæpatti magga. Yet a sotæpanna retains possibility of cohabitation, so he cannot be completely rid of all the superstitious beliefs. Still living in human society, one feels obliged to conform to practices of secular ma³galæ to a certain extent. We don t believe in auspicious or inauspicious days, but we feel obliged to permit religious ceremonies to be held on days chosen by lay disciples as auspicious. The same with foundation-laying ceremonies for new monasteries. We make such concessions because we don t want to sow doubts in the minds of lay disciples if the construction doesn t work out according to plan. As a matter of fact, there is no connection whatsoever between good results and auspicious time chosen after astrological calculations. Once, during the time of the Buddha, a certain man in

11 SAMMÆ PARIBBÆJANIYA SUTTA 6 Sævatthi city asked for the hand of the daughter of another man for his son and fixed the date of the wedding. Then only he approached his heretic master and asked if the date he had chosen was the right one. The master took offence against him for having failed to consult him before the date was chosen and said that the date was not the right one. If you hold the wedding ceremony on that day, there will be great destruction, the cunning master said. So the man did not go to the bride s house on the appointed day. He went only the following day with his son. The bride s parents were angry at the man s failure and married off their daughter to another young man. When the man arrived the next day with his son, they were roundly abused and driven out. The news of this incident spread and reached the ears of the Buddha s disciples who fell to discussing it. When the Buddha came upon the scene and asked what the topic of discussion was, He was told the story. The Buddha said that such an incident was not noble, for a precedent had occurred in the past. He then gave a sermon on it. The story under reference is called Nakkhatta Jætaka, No.49 of Ekaka Nipæta. The wise man in that story was reported to have said in following gæthæ;_ Failure can result from waitting for auspicious time Nakkhattaµ patimænennataµ, attho bælaµ upaccagæ. Attho atthassa nakkhattaµ, kim karissanti tærakæ. Benefits will approach and pass the fool who waits for a good time according to the planets. Getting the benefit desired is the same as getting it at an astrologically good time. How can planets do any good? This gæthæ is a remarkable one. In the present time there are instances of failure to get good results from failing to get things done in good time or rather at a time when it is advisable to do the work. Two or three years ago, a certain woman from Mergui came to Yangon to get her eye disease treated, but she was a little late because she waited for an auspicious date for departure from her home-town. The doctors said that the disease could not be cured because they were consulted too late. I heard about this from a lay disciple. This is an incident to remember in the matter of waiting for an auspicious time. The bhikkhu who discarded all the beliefs of secular ma³galæ will not be disturbed any longer by then, and will thus attain the state of perpetual happiness. The Buddha said that as such a bhikkhu had rid himself of these undesirable beliefs and notions, he can carry out the good work in the loka or human society. And then, you should get rid of the superstitions relating to thunder-strokes or mysterious fires or similar disasters. Such disasters are seldom met with. Then superstitions about dreams must also be dispelled. The scriptures say that dreams occur to illustrious persons on the eve of some great events of good or bad effect. To the ordinary person, however, dreams are of no significance; they are mere reflections of their fears and fancies. Whatever they may be, all dreams are to be disregarded. When one reached the stage of Arahatta magga, one would not have any dream at all. We all should strive to reach that stage. Here, one may pause to reflect. This Sutta was delivered to an audience of devas and brahmæs, and these celestial beings have never had an occasion for a dream. So they wouldn t have any notions connected with dreams, and wouldn t ever be interested in the dream of human beings. We may wonder how the devas and brahmæs would understand about dreams. It is true that the devas and brahmæs living in extra-terrestrial regions would not have dreams, but there are quite many devas, such as guardian devas of a tree who are living on the earth. Their lives are so closely related to the lives of human beings that they may have occasions for dreams. The Buddha s advice to dispel superstitious beliefs on dreams was appropriate for such terrestrial devas.

12 SAMMÆ PARIBBÆJANIYA SUTTA 7 And then, the Buddha s advice on beliefs regarding the peculiar marks on the domestic animals and tools, appliances and other things in daily use, was probably meant for the devas living on the earth and having estates just like human beings. According to the masters of Veda, certain marks on the property or on servants are responsible for good or bad luck of the owners. All such beliefs constitute superstitions, and they must be completely discarded. Such beliefs presuppose lobha ræga, the desire for making headway in life, and they are usually held by those who have an excess of ræga (lust). There may been some such beings among the devas and branmæs whom the Buddha was addressing. When they heard the Buddha say that the bhikkhu who had discarded all these superstitions could remain in peaceful happiness, they would probably have greater confidence in the noble bhikkhu, and would at the same time strive to discard such superstitions of their own. They would, therefore, go in for meditational practice and make greater adoration for the bhikkhus and the dhamma. Thus, would they achieve pure joy and immeditately attain Ariyæ magga and phala. BHIKKHU AND SECULAR MA GALÆ According to this sermon, all the monks in the Buddha Sæsanæ, who have taken the vows of monkhood should discard all the beliefs about secular Ma³galä. They should not encourage people to hold such beliefs. Yet there are some monks who have been giving lectures purporting to promote such beliefs; they have been teaching people how to make propitiations to ward off ill effects indicated by dreams on signs or other things; they have been giving instructions to do something, such as carrying about one s person certain tokens of charm, amulets in order to gain prosperity in business or promotion in official positions. Those who want to be save form ill luck or to become rich or to get promotions approach such masters. Such monks are becoming powerful and prosperous. According to this gæthæ, such practices should be discontinued and attainment of søla, samædhi and paññæ should be striven for. If one can discard all these false beliefs, one can be free from all attachments and achieve the highest happiness. To sum up, the question was: How does a bhikkhu who has gone into the woods after leaving the defilements of kæma do his religious work? The answer was The bhikkhu who has discarded all superstitious beliefs in secular ma³galæ has been doing good work. We will conclude today s session. May you all be able to strive to attain meditational insights leading to the achievement of the goal of nibbæna after discarding all the superstitious notions about secular ma³galæ. SÆDHU! SÆDHU! SÆDHU! END OF PART I

13 SAMMÆ PARIBBÆJANIYA SUTTA 8 PART II Today, the 8th Waxing day of Tazaungmon, I am going to continue with the Sutta by reciting the third gæthæ, Answer No.2. ANSWER NUMBER TWO Rægaµ vinayetha mænusesu, dibbesu kæmesu cæpi bhikkhu. Atikkamma bhavaµ samecca dhammaµ, sammæ so loke paribbæjeyya. The bhikkhu who has renounced kæmagu¼a (sensual pleasures) should abstain from ræga from amidst the kæmagu¼a of the human world and ræga of the kæmagu¼a of the human world and ræga of the kæmagu¼a of the celestial world. The one who has renounced the human world s kæmagu¼a and put on the saffron robes to become a bhikkhu would not be free of the sensualities pertaining to kæmagu¼a as yet. These sensualities should be got rid of, but how? By practising bhævanæ to gain samædhi (concentration) and thus making one s søla (moral practice) pure. This action could bring one to the stage of first jhæna which would diminish or reduce the desires, but kæma ræga would not be completely got rid of as yet. If circumstances favour, these desires would show up again. That is why there have been instances in which some persons who have attained jhæna abhiññæ¼a fell from that stage when they revelled in the voices of women. They fell from the sky while they were flying in the air. Jhæna samædhi alone would not be a safe guarantee against kæma ræga. One must employ the jhanæ samædhi as a basic for promoting the practice of vipassnæ. GETTING RID OF KÆMA AND RÆGA COMPLETELY The way to get rid of kæma and ræga completely is to observe the state of mind in the jhæna. It is same as the way in which the yogøs in this audience make mindful observations of the various acts such as seeing, hearing, knowing. When one attains the stage of anægämi magga and phala by means of mindfulness of various acts of the body and the mind, there will be no occasion for kæmagu¼a to happen, and thus all the ramifications of kæma-ræga and kæma-ta¼hæ will be eliminated. When one practises to attain jhæna samædhi, one must try to attain upacæra samædhi, the stage of calmness nearest to the attainment of jhæna. Using upacæra samædhi as a basis, one may successfully practise vipassanæ. If one does not have an opportunity to achieve upacæra samædhi, one should make observations of the physical and mental actions to achieve vipassanæ kha¼ika samædhi which is of the same strength as upacæra samædhi, as testified to in the various commentaries. When one is fully strengthened by this vipassanæ kha¼ika samædhi one will come to know rþpa and næma (physical and mental phenomena) separately; one will realize the difference between cause and effect; one will know personally the changing nature of the phenomena in accordance with anicca, dukkha and anatta. One will thus progress in mindfulness along the grades of insight, magga phala ñæ¼a, until one attains the stage of anægæmi magga and phala and becomes and anægæmi. At that stage käma ræga and kæma ta¼hæ are eliminated. An anægæmi has, therefore, no hankering after sensual pleasures and desires of this human world. Nor does he hanker after the pleasures of the celestial world. And thus he achieves genuine peace and serenity.

14 SAMMÆ PARIBBÆJANIYA SUTTA 9 MISERY DUE TO KÆMA AND RÆGA Today people are suffering from all kinds of misery as a result of their desires for things, animate and inanimate. They want to enjoy things they have once enjoyed and are trying to get these things. After having got them, these people try their utmost to keep them from loss or destruction. They have to worry about food, clothing and shelter besides being called upon to render social services. While thus serving, they happen to have committed several sins of killing, theft, cheating, etc. There are also instances of belligerence and war between countries. So the Buddha said in Cþ¹a Dukkhakkhanda sutta (128) of Majjhima Nikæya in Pæ¹i pø aka that kings quarrel among themselves because of their greed, lust and desires. So do Brahmins, rich men and well to do persons. So do parents and their children, brothers and brothers, sisters and other near relatives. These quarrels usually end in fights with weapons, resulting in deaths. Those who commit sins owing to kæmagu¼a go to hell and suffer misery, to the world of petas and suffer misery, or to the animals world where they suffer various kinds of misery. In short, the beings in the worlds of kæma are suffering mistery of all kinds simply because of their desires, hankerings and obsessions, that is, their kæmagu¼a. So kæmagu¼a is indeed a very terrible thing. However, most people consider these desires and sensations the best things in life. They think that such enjoyment of pleasures makes for happiness. But if you make a serious study of this matter, you will find that the so-called happiness is not so very much compared with the amount of trouble one has to go through to gain such pleasures. The Buddha, therefore, taught that the pleasures of both the human and the celestial worlds should be rejected. Of the two pleasures, namely, the earthly pleasures and the celestial pleasures, nobody among us has had any personal experience of the latter. It is seldom that people commit sins to get celestial pleasures; only; they commit all sorts of sins to get earthly pleasures. How should we try to lessen such sins? Of course, by making a note of all the physical and mental actions and thus acquire a deep knowledge of the nature of these actions. If we can not do that and let ourselves go, then we should not fail to make a note of the happenings of the desires for such pleasures and then reject them as they occur. We should know that these pleasures are the ones that will push us down to hell; they are simply terrible. There are some persons who are under the impression that by renouncing the secular life and entering monkhood they will gain celestial pleasures in their next existence and they hope for a life of pleasures in the celestial world. Entertainment of such hopes is also not proper and any desire for a celestial existence, if it occurs to you, should be instantly brushed aside. If you cannot get rid of it by making a note of it, you should reject it after serious consideration. If you can t do that, you will get human and celestial existences again and again, and thus suffer misery of all kinds that are heir to these existences. Then, as you wouldn t be free of sins you would go to hell and other nether regions of existence and suffer untold misery there. Now that you have a good existence here and now, you should not fail to take this opportunity of attaining anægæmi magga through an intense practice of vipassanæ. If you have attained that exalted stage of anægæmi, you will be quite safe. In the present existence you will not suffer misery owing to the pleasures of kæmagu¼a simply because you have no hankering after them. Then after you have passed away, you will get to the world of Brahamæs, and there you will gain mental as well as physical happiness. Even then, there still exists misery resulting from the physical and mental actions. In order to be free of this misery, the Buddha continued thus: The wisdom of arahatta magga ñæ¼a which sees the Four Noble Truths overcomes and surpasses the state of continuous existence.

15 SAMMÆ PARIBBÆJANIYA SUTTA 10 Do not be complacent after having attained the stage of anægæmi. Try to attain the final stage of arahatta magga which sees the Four Noble Truths. When one attains this stage and thus becomes an arahanta, one will be rid of hankering after the three bhavas, or places of existences namely, kæma bhava, rþpa bhava and arþpa bhava. After getting rid of this bhava ræga (hankering after bhava) the arahanta has no more existence for him, and after passing away from the present existence, he will attain Anupædisesa Nibbæna, the state of genuine peace. That is the state of supreme happiness. So the arahanta spends the remaining part of his present existence without suffering any misery resulting from kilesæ and he is in genuine peace and happiness. So the Buddha said: The bhikkhu who has overcome and surpassed the three bhavas lives properly in this world. To really know the Four Noble Truths doesn t mean knowing them from learning by rote; such knowledge would not enable one to overcome the three bhavas. We mean that one would attain the stage of anægæmi after completely rejecting kæma ræga, and then continuing the intense practice of insight meditation, one attains a full and deep knowledge of the Four Noble Truths through the wisdom of arahatta magga ñæ¼a. We mean to advise that the yogøs should persist in their efforts to climb the steep path toward the final stage by way of insight meditation. Of course, there is no need to repeat here the process of insight meditation, but I will tell you briefly about catusaccæ kamma hæna as described in the commentaries. PRACTICE OF CATUSACCÄ KAMMA HÆNA Of the Four Truths, only two should be observed. The two are Dukkha Saccæ and Samudaya Saccæ. The other two, Nirodha Saccæ and Magga Saccæ, need not be observed. To be free and away from all kinds of misery (dukkha) is Nibbæna which is Nirodha Saccæ, the most desirable objective, and to achieve this objective Magga Saccæ, or the Eight Noble Path must be followed, and that also is the most desirable objective. Knowing the nature of these two Truths, one has only to wish for attainment of them. Having set one s wish on them, one has to observe Dukkha Saccæ, the Truth about Misery, as preliminary to the attainment of Nibbæna, and that preliminary measure is Vipassanæ Magga, the path of insight meditation. Observing the Truth about the Misery involves making a mental note of all the physical and mental actions as they occur and seeing their impermanent nature. Failure to see the impermanent nature of these actions would lead to an obsession with permanence, bliss and self, and such obsession is called upædænakkhandæ. Observing the impermanence of things by making a mental note of them as they occur would bring correct knowledge, and kind of observation is the same as following the path of Vipassanæ. With the development of this correct observation the stage of attainment of Nirodha Saccæ will be reached in due course. Here, I may refer to what some persons say about vipassanæ. They say that the practice of vipassanæ entails trouble and discomfort. This view is an incorrect one, a failure to understand the true nature of vipassanæ magga. Some hold the opinion that passing away to the state of Nibbæna means the ultimate death and, therefore, it is a dangerous state. That also is avijjæ (ignorance) which is an incorrect view of Nirodha Saccæ. Taking the physical and mental actions such as seeing, hearing, etc., to be good things and Nirodha Saccæ as bad, is moha (sheer ignorance). The truth is that the physical and mental actions of an organism are in constant flux and because of their instability, it is misery. One should make an effort to see this truth through insight meditation. When one realises the truth about misery one will be free from desire for these actions. That freedom from hankering Samudaya Saccæ is in fact the rejection of pleasures which makes for an escape from the stream of existences which are the results of ta¼hæ (hankering) upædæna (obsession) bhava (existence), jæti (birth) jaræ (old age) and mara¼a (death) which are kinds of misery attached to existence. This freedom, if only for a moment is achieved by vipassanæ. Making a mental note and

16 SAMMÆ PARIBBÆJANIYA SUTTA 11 thus gaining is vipassanæ magga, and rejecting in this way attachment, desires and obsessions is achieving from moment to moment Nirodha Saccæ. When this vipassanæ ñæ¼a, or meditational insight is developed, one eventually comes to realise Nirodha Saccæ and thus reach the stage of nibbæna. The first stage is, of course, sotæpanna the second sakadægæmi, and when the third stage anægæmi, is reached all the desires for pleasures (kæma ræga) are eliminated. Continuing from that third stage one goes on to the final stage of arahatta magga by means of vipassanæ. Attainment of this stage spells an achievement of Nirodha Saccæ where all kinds of misery are eliminated and rebirth is precluded. Arahatta næ¼a, the wisdom of insight of the Four Noble Truth, makes its achiever an arahanta who surpasses all the three worlds and thus achieve genuine peace and happiness. This is the end of the second part of Sammæ Pribbæjaniya Sutta. May the audience be able to achieve eventually genuine peace and happiness by surpassing the three worlds of existence through vipassanæ. SÆDHU! SÆDHU! SÆDHU! END OF PART II

17 SAMMÆ PARIBBÆJANIYA SUTTA 12 PART III Today, the full moon day of Tazaungmon, we will have a discourse on the fourth gæthæ. ANSWER NUMBER THREE Vipi hikatvæna pesu¼æni, kodhaµ kadariyaµ jaheyya bhikkhu. Anurodhavirodhavippahino, sammæ so loke pribbajeyya. The bhikkhu should turn his back on the other person s gossip and slander and eschew anger and malice. He should also reject prejudice and hatred. Such a bhikkhu lives properly in the world. The meaning of this gæthæ is that the bhikkhu must reject anger, prejudices, indulgences and attachments and their opposites, annoyances and hatred. And that such a bhikkhu will have no attachment in the world and will therefore be able to live cleanly, peacefully and happily. In the six suttas of the Mahæ Samaya Sutta, one gæthæ is sufficient for the purpose but several more were given by way of repetition. Those who have enough intelligence will wonder why there should be such repetition. The reason is that the devas and brahmæs who had sufficient intelligence to understand with the first gæthæ gained realisation soon after it was enunciated, and those with inferior intelligence understood the meaning after enunciation of the second or third gæthæ, as the case may be. So it must be that the Buddha taught his Dhamma in similar gæthæs bearing the same meaning. In the previous gæthæ the Buddha taught that one must reject kæma ræga and overcome and surpass the three worlds. If one has rejected kæma ræga it goes without saying that one has rejected all the kilesæ such as dosa, moha, mæna, di hi etc. In the present gæthæ the advice is to reject gossips, anger, malice and prejuidces. Compared to the previous gæthæ, this one which refers to gossips may seem inferior but this was meant for devas whose intelligence was inferior. This point we must note. GOSSIP MUST BE REJECTED Gossip is meant to create misunderstanding between those who love and respect one another. To tell someone or other some faults of one or more persons, whether the allegations are correct or not. Or, like the bræhmin Vassakæra, to make one doubt about another s motives and thus create misunderstanding between them. This has been referred to in my discourse on Sallekha Sutta. Gossip and slander must be got rid of by means of anægæm, magga (as referred to in Visuddhi magga). We must try to attain anægæmi magga in order to get rid of the habit of gossip and slander. As it has been said that when one reached the stage of sotæpatti magga, one would not resort to any misdeed that would pull one down to hell, a sotæpanna would not tell white lies. The object of the slander is to alienate, two persons who love and respect each other, and if such persons are so alienated, the purpose of the slanderer is achieved. That sin will, however, pull the slanderer down to the hell or one of the nether regions. A satæpanna will never commit such a sin. Although one may not have yet become an anægami, it is best to avoid telling about other persons faults or demeaning others. By avoiding such sins, one should work hard to attain to the stage of anægami in due course.

18 SAMMÆ PARIBBÆJANIYA SUTTA 13 ANGER MUST BE REJECTED Anger, too, can be completely got rid of only when one reaches the stage of anægami magga. But if one could reject anger as much and as often as possible before attaining that exalted stage, it would be very much better. When anger arise; one should dispel it either by making a mental note of it or by discerning it. It should be nipped in the bud, or it would assume such proportions that the angry person might resort to foul speech or even physical act of rudeness. One should, therefore, nip anger in the bud before it becomes visible to others through one s speech and action. We should develop this practice of eschewing anger till we reach the stage of anægami magga. UNCHARITABLENESS MUST BE REJECTED Uncharitableness or envy, should also be eschewed. A monk could be uncharitable, (1) in connection with the monastery; (2) in connection with the intimate dæyaka and dæyika (lay man and lay woman); (3) in connection with alms and gifts; (4) in connection with religious treatises; (5) in connection with prestige. An uncharitable act is an attempt to deter others from sharing the things that are in one s possession. Commentaries say that this attitude is eschewed when one reaches the stage of sotæpatti magga. Even if one has not yet reached this stage, one should reject uncharitable attitude through meditational practice. Uncharitableness should be eschewed in one s relationship particularly with those who are engaged in the practice of søla. In short, I d say Turning ones back on gossip, one must eschew anger and envy. Turning one s back on gossip means, of course, abandoning the habit of gossiping. Turning ones back on slander is in fact, a direct translation from Pæ¹i.

19 SAMMÆ PARIBBÆJANIYA SUTTA 14 ACQUIESCENCE AND OPPOSITION SHOULD BE REJECTED It is good and proper to acquiesce in the wishes of another person in his interest and for his good. Acquiescence, which should be avoided, we mean complying with the wishes of another person with lascivious intent and for gratification of lust. Opposition is a demonstration of anger and hatred; that should be avoided. Anger and hatred are synonymous. Anger can be completely rejected only when one attains the stage of anægæmi magga. Compliance with the wishes of another under the instigation of desire and lust is, of course, the work of ræga and ræga is eliminated only when one attains the final stage of purity, that is arahatta magga. We should work hard for the attainment of the final stage. With the elimination of ræga on attainment of arahatta magga one dispels all kilesæ. Thus, one is free from all attachment, and can live properly in this world. May this audience be able to work hard in their meditational practice in order to dispel such uncharitable attitudes as slander, gossip and eventually ræga, and achieve the ultimate goal of nibbæna. SÆDHU! SÆDHU! SÆDHU! END OF PART III

20 SAMMÆ PARIBBÆJANIYA SUTTA 15 PART IV Today the 8th waning day of Tazaungmon, it is the turn for fifth gæthæ. ANSWER NUMBER FOUR Hitvæna piyañca appiyañca, anupædæya anissito kuhiñci. Saµyojariye hi vippamutto, sammæ so loke paribbajeyya. The bhikkhu who is striving for liberation from the misery of samsæra, rejects lovable beings and lovable things as well as hateful beings and hateful things through meditation in order to reach the stage of arahatta phala. To a monk there should be no beloved or hated persons or things. People suffer immense misery because of beloved and hated beings and things. In this reference the Dhammapada says: Mæ piyehi samægañchi, appiyehi kudæcanaµ. Piyænaµ adassanaµ dukkham appiyænañca dassanaµ. May (I) not meet with lovable beings and things, nor with hateful beings and things, for missing the former makes for misery, and meeting with the latter makes for misery, too. Just coming across lovable beings or things does not matter as much as falling in love with them. Likewise, mere coming across hateful beings and things is not so damaging as hating them. One feels miserable if one s beloved children are separated from one by death or by having to live separately with hardly any hope of meeting them again. In the same manner, if one s prized possessions such as gold, silver, jewellery and other valuables were robbed or destroyed by fire, flood or storm, one would suffer much misery. So it is better for one not to come across beloved beings and things and loving them. It is far better not to come across them at all, for if they were met with, one would probably fall in love with them. However, most people think that it is very good, very enjoyable to come across lovable beings and things and loving them. So they are out in search of them, in other words, they are searching for misery. That is like creating misery for oneself. Then, one would be happy not to come across hateful things and enemies. If one meets with them, it is good to eschew malice and develop loving-kindness for them. Among hateful things, bad smell is worse; it is worse than hateful sight. Then again, bad contact is wrose than bad smell. Aches, pains and tiredness could result from a bad contact; it could even kill one. It is best not to meet with such hateful things. It one has to meet them, one much endure them as much as one can. One should reject hatefull persons and objects by making a constant note of the sight of them as such, and such noting would not admit of either love or hated. If one feels either love or hatred, one should make an immediate note of that feeling and thus get rid of that feeling of love or hatred as the case may be. If one makes a note of the happening and fading-out in this manner and gets to the stage of an anægæmi, hatred that is included in dosa (anger) is abandoned. In that stage one would not have any feeling of hatred for hateful things or persons one meets with, and remain in peace and happiness. Again, when one reaches the stage of an arahanta, one would be rid of ræga (lust) which is often mistaken for love. One would not then be effected by anything lovable or lovely, and would remain in peaceful and happy state. We all should work to attain that stage.

21 SAMMÆ PARIBBÆJANIYA SUTTA 16 If one is rid of loving or hating, one is rid of kilesæ. The Buddha reiterated the message in another form so that the audience of celestial beings would understand better. MUST BE FREE OF OBSESSION It has been stated clearly in the satipa hæna teaching that if one is in meditation by making a note of the in-breath and out-breath or of the constant changes in body, or of pain and sensation such as, tension, pain and aches or the changing mental phenomena, one would not have any occasion for lust or desire. One would not also have any egoistic obsession. So if one wants to be rid of obsessions, one must go in for meditation, and thus make a constant note of the ever-changing phenomena in the body, the feelings, the states of mind, and mental conceptions. At the beginning of the meditation practice, one would find nothing unusual. But as one carries on and thus gains concentration (samædhi), one would discern the matter from the mind. One would also see the cause and the effect and the ever-changing character of the phenomena. One would then be convinced that these happenings and disappearances are in a state of flux and they spell only misery and are going by themselves beyond one s control. In other words, one would be convinced of the anicca, dukkha and antta nature. When one is thus convinced, one will be free of obsessions, and eventually gain insight of arahatta magga phala. One would then become an arahanta. BE FREE FROM THE HITCHING-POST If one is free of obsessions, one is released from the hitching-post of samsæra. So the Pæ¹i idiom says: Saµyojaniyehi, inanimate. meaning being free from the hitching-post of attachment for things, animate or Saµyojana, or the fetter is a tying of one so that one cannot get out of samsæra. It is after all an aggregate of kilesæ (defilement). The arahantäs have cut off these ties and are free from the hitching-post of samsæra. Such bhikkhus can achieve sammæ paribbæjeyya, meaning that they can live properly in the world. Now, in review, the second gæthæ relates to the riddance of secular ma³galæ: the third to the riddance of kæma ræga and bhava ræga. The present one relates to the riddance of obsessions of love and hatred. May the audience be free from the saµyojana, the hitching-post of samsæra, and thus speedily attain the state of nibbæna. SÆDHU! SÆDHU! SÆDHU! END OF PART IV